Let's break out of the norm and live in the end zone.

By Dr. DAN ERICKSON

They give us the warmth of the womb, a cup of warm cocoa and shelter from the storm.

If our goal is comfort, then being in “the zone” is fantastic.

But is comfort really what we want? At your funeral, would you like it said of you, “She lived a comfortable life”?

The problem with the comfort zone is that it leaves us comatose.

Let's consider where we'd be if some of the great people of our times, and of history, chose comfort over courage?

The greatest of all, Jesus, was offered comfort on a silver platter by the Devil himself. Thanks be to God, Jesus rejected it and went to the cross instead.

But there are many others. The Apostle Paul. Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. Dissidents who rotted in jails rather than bow to corrupt dictators.

What if all of them remained in their comfort zones?

Your battle may not make it to the history books. But whether it’s challenging the behavior of a friend, disciplining a child or confronting a co-worker or boss, you’re in a battle nonetheless.

If we retreat from each fight, our lives will be wasted. But if we put one foot out of the comfort zone, the other will follow. Pretty soon we're in the end zone and we don't even know how we got there.

But we wouldn't turn back if we could.

Jesus said this of end-zone living: “I came to bring them life, and far more life than before” (John 10:10).